Improvement in ballot-boxes



G. n. DAVIS. Ballot-Boxes.

910,149,202, Patented March 31, 1874.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. t

GEORGE D. DAVIS, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN BALLOT-BOXES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 149,202, dated March 31, 1874; application led January 30, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORG-E l). Davis, of Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ballot-Boxes, of which the following' is a specication:

This invention consists of a box the sides and ends of which are made of glass, the top of the said box having au opening through which access is had to the box by means of a tube regulated by a slide, said slide, through the medium of shafts, levers, and a hammer, operating a register and striking a bell whenever a vote is cast in the box, all as will hereinafter more fully appear.

In the drawings, Figure l is a view of my im proved ballot-box with the bottom removed, showing the interior arrangement; Fig. 2, a top view, showing the opening for the admission of the ticket; Fig. 3, a detached view, showing the slide for regulating the entrance ofthe tickets into the tubes.

The letter A represents a box, the ends B of which are composed of glass, by which the interior can be examined. a is a ilat slide, exteiuling into the box between two vertical tubes, d, c', and 0, and is provided with an opening, l, which is in line with the tubes when the slide is in position for the entrance of a ballot into the tubes and box. This slide has a downwardly-proiecting arm, fr, on the end of which is a iiange, a, covering the bottom of the tube d c when the opening Z in the slide is in line with the tubes. The slide connects at its rear end with a lever, c, pivoted at s, the short arm of which lever is attached to a rod, t, connecting with a registering apparatus, b, which may consist of any desired and known construction, and is operated by the slide whenever a ballot is east. At the point f, between the opening l in the slide and the lever e', are pivoted two levers, p and u, the former of which connects with a hammer, fi, acting on a gong, e, to strike whenever the slide is drawn out to uncover the bot` tom of the tube d c for the insertion of a ballot. Journaled on opposite sides of the box is a shaft, n, provided with a short transverse bar, m, one end of which is connected to a cord attached to the lever a, and the other end of the bar m is connected with a spring (not shown in the drawing) attached to the top ofthe box or to the register b. Upon the shaft a, immediately beneath the tubes, is arranged a receiver, c, of glass or other material, upon which the ballot drops when it falls from the tube d c.

By this arrangement, when the slide a is drawn out to uncover the bottom of the tubes d c', to permit the ballot to pass into the box, the shaft n will be brought to a parallel position with the top of the box, through the medium of the lever u and string r/ acting on the bar m to turn the shaft u, when by pushing in the slide, after the ballot has fallen on the receiver c, the latter will be inclined, as shown in Fig. 3, by the same means as isv required to bring it to a parallel position, thus dropping the ballot off of the receiver into the box. Then the ballot is placed in the tube o, it passes through the opening Z in the slide a', and onto the iiange a, covering the bottom of the tube d c', when, by drawing the slide outwardly, the tube is uncovered and the ballot passes onto the receiver c, where it can be inspected by those in charge of the box, and at the same time that the above movements are made, the striker 'i is operated by the lever p to sound the gong c', at which moment the registering apparatus is operated, to indicate each time a ballot is cast.

It is not essential that a registering apparat-us be combined with the ballot-box, as it may be dispensed with without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The ballots may be removed when necessary through an opening in the bottom of the box, which is provided with three locks, h h 71., having different keys, to be held by the inspectors.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A ballot-box provided with the sliding rod af, having the opening e, arm 0', and iiange a, and the tubes d e o, shaft n, receiver o, hammer 1'-, gong c, and levers p and u, all combined for operation in connection with a registering apparatus, b, as set forth.

G. D. DAVIS.

Witnesses I. T. KING, J. A. Davis. 

